New Truck Stop. What do YOU want?

That's why they came out with those annoying one-at-a-time dispensers.

 

LOL!

Most places already do... Last I heard diesel 'profit' was at about 2.5 cents per gallon, that doesn't even pay for the electricity to pump it into the truck... and gasoline isn't much more profitable.

Us truckers must realize that truck-stops are actually losing money every time we fill up... The only real profit they make comes from store merch and meals.

 

I really doubt this.

In Indiana, Gary, the Flying J sells for 15 cents more than it is sold for at Laporte, Indiana. These guys in Laporte are still making a small profit, so can you imagine what the others are making?

 

I can assure you that I know for a fact what the profit is for some stops in Minnesota, Iowa and Western Illinois and it's not above 3 cents per gallon to keep competitive. (I was on the other side of the fence on this for a while, as I did books for a group of truckstops... or more precisely... worked at finding mistakes in the books)

There is NO money in selling diesel fuel. Heck if the was, Wal-Mart would have a ton of stops out there now.

BTW: Who in their right mind would stop for fuel at the J in Gary In?

 

I am only giving you what the signs are.

I live in central illiniois. I drive up I-55 in my diesel pickup. I can stop at the TA in Bloomington and pay 22 cents more than if I head over to the Walmart and buy it there.

I also have a very lengthy background in accounting and know what some of them charge as well.

 

Yeah, I'm giving you what the profit per gal invoice spreads were, and it wasn't good. In fact, when diesel prices went through the roof... some of these stops were profiting less then a penny on fuel sales. .0093 per gal was the lowest that I saw in a month of sales.

It's possible that some of the price differences are due to these places using outside carriers for their fuel drops(ie Kane, Wayne Transport ect). These carriers then become effective middlemen and they might be passing the cost to the customer(not sure, but I suspect this my be happening). Then there is the fact that these fuel stops keep what they actually pay for the fuel top secret, as the is federal mandates in the fuels price/profit structure( go figure huh?).

 

I can go 1/2 mile to my local station and get diesel for .26 per gallon more than if I drive to another town 8 miles away. They get their fuel from the same place 8 miles north of my house. Not sure if they use the same carrier though.

 

Yeah, then there were a few places that didn't or couldn't pay the carrier for fuel delivery so of course the carrier started charging interest.(they could be trying to pass that on to the customer?)

Then, there was the occasional diesel drive off(yup it happens) a truck would fill then take off without payment. This could kill profits for a week.

I was shocked at how bad the profit margin was for diesel. And gasoline in only marginally better.

 

No drive offs.

Just greedy at the local spot.

I drive the same route to pick up my loads each week. It is amazing that I can see great difference in the price of fuel.

 

It also depends on the current set price which is never the actual current price of fuel/oil. They sell it in bulk way ahead of time and the price is locked there. That's why fuel rises so fast when oil goes up and takes so long to fall when oil goes down.